Fleer Baseball

[ALR-bishop]

In addition to trying to maintain a Topps set and pack run, I have also tried to do a complete Fleer baseball set and pack run, from 1923 and then 1959 to 2007.

The Fleer 1923 set, my only pre war project is really just a W515 strip set but with Fleer advertising on the back. Here is the Ruth both with and without the Fleer back.

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Bishop539/img075.jpg
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Bishop539/img076.jpg

As far as I know Fleer did not do baseball again until the 1959 Williams set. They then did some Oldies for a couple of years before coming out with the short handed 63 set.While some think Topps sued to halt the 63 Fleer set, they did not. Fleer avoided the Topps exclusive player contract issue by marketing their 63 cards with cookies rather that confections. But sales were bad and Fleer decided not to do a planned 2nd series of cards that year

After 63 Fleer continued to put out all kinds of baseball related sets, stickers, logos, puzzles, world series cards, all star cards, fact cards, until they re entered the market again for regular baseball cards in 1981.

For anyone interested in all the many Fleer offerings from the latter 60s and 70s there is a great web site, the Fleer sticker project

http://fleersticker.blogspot.com/2009/06/original-fleer-sticker-project.html

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Bishop539/img212.jpg
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Bishop539/img211.jpg
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Bishop539/img206.jpg
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Bishop539/img199.jpg
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Bishop539/img200.jpg
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Bishop539/img201.jpg
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Bishop539/img202.jpg
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Bishop539/img203.jpg
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Bishop539/img204.jpg
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Bishop539/img205.jpg
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Bishop539/img223.jpg
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Bishop539/img224.jpg
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Bishop539/img221.jpg
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Bishop539/img324.jpg
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Bishop539/img465_zpsb8f23884.jpg

[nolemmings]

Is that all ya got? ;)

[laughlinfan]

Very nice Fleer run! Been trying to figure out the mystery of the 1978 Fleer World Series cards for a while now - have you ever seen a pack of these? From what I understand, they were sold through Good Humour outlets, but I have never seen a pack that I am aware of. I definitely have some cards from the set that have what looks to be wax wrapper residue, so pretty sure they were distributed this way, but no proof as far as a wax pack goes. I suppose it's possible they used a 1971 WS wrapper - then we'd have a hard time knowing the difference, unless one of the "extended" cards could be seen through the wrapper.

[ALR-bishop]

The 70 set was 66 cards with blue backs covering 1903 to 1969 with no card for 1904. The original 71 set was 68 cards with black backs. Both had a confusing 68 copyright designation. The update cards for the 71 set, cards 69 to 75, which cover through to the 1977 Series are also black backs, but with different stock. The whole 71 set was likely re released in 1978 with the updated cards and probably the same wrappers.

The original 71 set had two extra cards but covered only one more Series. The second card covered the 1904 season itself when there was no Series. There are many other front and back differences to the sets, which was recreated yet again in 1980 but with team logo backs

[laughlinfan]

Thanks, Al. A few of the folks I have picked up some of the 1978 cards from recalled buying them at Good Humor vendors when they were kids. And when the '78 cards do come up for sale, they usually are sold by folks from the NY/NJ/PA area, so I am thinking Fleer just did a special small run for that area.

I would say that they may have used the 1971 wrappers, but those wrappers have a 10 cent price on them, and I am guessing after the inflation that occurred between 71 and 78, selling them for 10 cents a pack would not have been a profit making venture.

I love the 71 WS card of Clemente from the 78 set, that was replaced by a generic Pirate in the 80 sticker set. Still remember seeing that Clemente card for the first time in a stack of WS cards at a show 20 years ago - and knew I had never seen it when I collected the set in 1971.

My 78 Fleer WS pack quest continues...

[ALR-bishop]

Marty---since this seems to involve a guy named Dan I assume it is not yours ?

http://www.vintagecardtraders.org/virtual/78fleer/78fleer.html

And this supports your Good Humor story

http://www.sculu.com/fleer-world-series-update-cards-mystery-solved-thanks-to-the-troy-files-45666/

[toppcat]

The 70 set was 66 cards with blue backs covering 1903 to 1969 with no card for 1904. The original 71 set was 68 cards with black backs. Both had a confusing 68 copyright designation. The update cards for the 71 set, cards 69 to 75, which cover through to the 1977 Series are also black backs, but with different stock. The whole 71 set was likely re released in 1978 with the updated cards and probably the same wrappers.

The original 71 set had two extra cards but covered only one more Series. The second card covered the 1904 season itself when there was no Series. There are many other front and back differences to the sets, which was recreated yet again in 1980 but with team logo backs

I recall the sticker backed versions were awash in 1981 Fleer Baseball packs.

[laughlinfan]

Hey Dave - I don't recall ever seeing the sticker backed WS cards in the 81 Fleer cards I opened - but I do think there was a sticker backed All-Star Game set of cards illustrated by Bob Laughlin that also came out in 1981, again in separate packs, though. When Fleer had to drop gum from their packs, I do recall getting a boatload of the sticker backed Famous Feats cards, for some reason done in an underwhelming black, white and yellow, and for some reason also cut down to a set of 22 instead of the original 40. Poor Bob must have been shaking his head with that set...

[PM770]

Hey Dave - I don't recall ever seeing the sticker backed WS cards in the 81 Fleer cards I opened - but I do think there was a sticker backed All-Star Game set of cards illustrated by Bob Laughlin that also came out in 1981, again in separate packs, though.

Yeah, the 1981 Fleer stickers an the All-Star Game cartoons. It was the 1980 Fleer stickers that had the World Series cartoons. They only went back to 1940 for whatever reason.

I have the 1971 Laughlin World Series set and then the stickers for 1971-1979. That Clemente 1971 update is on my want list for sure.

[autograf]

Unfortunately most of my Fleer collecting came in the crappy post 1981 realm......lots of interesting Fleer sticker products even during that timeframe although they were severly overproduced. Great pictures as usual Al...........

[toppcat]

Yeah, the 1981 Fleer stickers an the All-Star Game cartoons. It was the 1980 Fleer stickers that had the World Series cartoons. They only went back to 1940 for whatever reason.



Sorry, that is quite right. Now if I could only remember where I put them all......